LeT commander killed in Kashmir gunfight (Second Lead)

Srinagar, Aug 4 (IANS) A gunfight between the security forces and militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district ended Thursday evening after a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) guerrilla commander holed up inside a house was killed.

“Acting on specific information about the presence of armed militants in village Khar Mohalla, Puchal area of district Pulwama, police and 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) laid a siege of the area in the wee hours today (Thursday),” said a statement issued by the zonal headquarters of the local police.

“As soon as the advance party was carrying out the search, it was fired upon which was retaliated, thus triggering an encounter.

“In the ensuing encounter, one militant Shakoor Ahmad Teli alias Saif alias Abu Bakar, the self-styled district commander of the LeT outfit was killed. The slain militant had been active since 2007 and was involved in a number of militancy related cases including the killings of civilians.”

Soon after the operation concluded, some people resorted to heavy stone pelting on police and security forces deployments and also set ablaze a police vehicle in the area.

Two people were injured when police fired rubber bullets to disperse the mob,